FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

okay... i have been avoiding posting about my current project because i feel like i should be able to research and figure all this out on my own. but i want to make sure im on the right track.

i am currently setting up a wintering area for my tropical CP's. it might be a permanent home if everything does well in there. so here is what im working with currently:

-i have a small 8' x 6' area of my basement to work in. concrete floor, brick o block walls.
-i have installed a 48" 40 watt fluorescent fixture with two Philips 48" indoor/aquarium grow lights. it should be worth noting that i am going to install two more of these fixtures in a week or two.
-the humidity ranges from 65% (at the lowest, although it only dipped that low once in a 2 week period) - 85% (its at this point as i type this). the average is around 75% to 80%.
-the temperature stays pretty close to 70 Fahrenheit. it does fluctuate as low as 65 and as high as 75. these changes are gradual though and currently i have no heat or air running in my house. i think as the winter approaches and i turn on the furnace it might peak a little higher. this is just an assumption since the basement does not have any hvac registers in it. it would be radiant heat from the appliances (gas furnace, gas water heater, electric washer/dryer, and various fluorescent lights) and any residual heat coming down the stairs or through the uninsulated floor boards from the level above.
- i have already started by taking 4 pressure treated 2x4's and anchoring them to one of the 8' walls. from floor to ceiling (vertical) staggered every 1.5'.

now here is what i envisioned in my head:

each 8' wall anchored with four pressure treated 2x4's (running from floor to ceiling) staggered every 1.5'
3-4 shelves on each of the 8' walls, attached to the 2x4's anchored to the walls
each shelf made of a pressure treated wood (either 2x2's or 2x4's) frame with metal 1/4" hardware cloth (wire mesh) strung across it to provide a solid draining surface for my various pots n' such.
under the lowest shelf on each side a long deep plastic tray to catch any water from the above shelves (most likely i will be planting beds of live sphagnum in these lower trays)

so... any thoughts, comments, criticism, or suggestions on how to alter the environment or setup to better benefit my little pets?
im thinking the bed of sphagnum and residual water that it sits in should kick the humidity up some. the temperature is my biggest concern right now.

~RLK

i would have posted a pic but for some reason my computer cant see my phone when i attach it. so we will have to make due with the above description.

you live in tennesee you can just leave them out side but when it gets below 20 deegres F. just put a bucket over them and if it gets in the teens jest pile some mulch over it about 3 inchs thisck should i hope i helped you and i if you leave them inside they will most likely die next year.

i think thats a pretty good place for a tropical plant if u want to heat it up id suggest some heat lamps or just put a radiator in :Dif you want humidity that sphagnam bed should do well and a heat lamp on that would humidify the room pretty well.good luck with your plants. btw what plants you growing? neps?

oh sorry i thought you were talking about venus flytraps

hehehe its an easy mistake to make...i think

good idea with the heat lamps on the sphagnum. im gonna wait til i run my furnace for about a week til i start meddling with heat lamps. wanna get an idea if its necessary.

i have 5 (soon to be 7) neps. 3 pots of dionaea, 3 pots of sarr's, and i am gunning for a ceph. they are tough to get it seems though. my local worms way had one and im gonna try and get it from the manager or see where he got it. also got cacti and succulents coming out of my ears.

i have moved everything down into the basement currently. wanna see how they do under the grow lights. so far the neps have reacted very well to it. two nep alata's i saved have looked pitiful for a couple months outside. but after 3 days inside they seem to be looking healthier. their leaves are starting to get some color to them and they seem to be un-curling a bit.

~RLK

come dormancy time (nov) i will move my dionaea and serr's outside. im gonna be building a raised earth terrace in my backyard very soon (in place of a traditional wooden deck) and the drainage from 2 of my rainbarrels will be slow feeding a bog garden next to the terrace. this is where all my temperate cp's will make their new home come Feb. believe you me. once i get that set up there shall be many a picture.

speaking of that, does anyone have a functional outdoor bog garden?

kwl im trying to grow some lowland neps you got any tips?im gonna try make a bog garden outside with s.purpurea and some cobra lilys i might even put some VFTS in.btw if your trying to buy a ceph go to http://www.bugtraps.co.uk/shop/Albany-P ... laris.html its where i got mine from and id reccomend them good luck

so instead of a new thread i thought i would add to this. an update of sorts.

so no surprise, my basement is humid and apparently stagnant. i lost my red piranha a couple days ago to fungus. it was moldy, black and rotted out. and the LFS on top was kinda green and slimy. very unhappy about this. trying to save my cupped trap now. trimmed it and brought it outside. i like to think i have a green thumb but this sorta caught me by surprise.

anyway... i was considering two resolutions to this, either put a oscillating room fan in my growing area, or set up some sort of exhaust fan to shunt air outside.

concerned about the possible drop in humidity. anyone know if moving the air around would help or not? or is it necessary to have a fresh air change? ( i guess this is aimed at those with greenhouses or the like)

~RLK